Match Report

Report: Tranmere 0 Bristol Rovers 1

A first half goal from Chris Lines saw Tranmere lose 1-0 at home to Bristol Roves on Tuesday night.
A frustrating match saw Tranmere struggle to put their shots on target, with most of the chances created going over the bar.
Rovers named an unchanged team from the 1-1 draw at Charlton with Andy Robinson again starting alongside Enoch Showunmi and Zoumana Bakayogo.
Blustery conditions greeted the players at kick off and it was the visitors who started the brighter, spending the first two minutes deep in the Tranmere half.
However, it was Rovers who carved out the first opening, with Tony Warner throwing beyond the halfway line to Showunmi and his through ball went just too far for Bakayogo. Moments later Robinson had the game's first shot, firing wide from 25 yards after intercepting a defensive clearance.
On ten minutes Bakayogo's floated cross couldn't be brought down by a team mate with Showunmi and Welsh both failing with attempted headers on goal allowing Conrad Logan to eventually claim the ball in the Bristol Rovers goal.
Six minutes later a foul on Robinson five yards outside the area gave Tranmere a shooting opportunity and Aaron Cresswell's left foot stinger went narrowly over the bar.
However, on 19 minutes the visitors took the lead. A high cross reached Will Hoskins at the far post and though his ball back in was cleared by Ian Goodison, it only went as far as Chris Lines who controlled and shot into the bottom left corner from outside the area.
It was almost two nil a couple of minutes later. A slip from Robbie Weir allowed Hoskins some space in the area and he turned and fired against the right hand post from eight yards, with the ball bouncing away from goal.
On 23 minutes a powerful effort from Welsh was headed over the Cowshed Stand roof by Cain Bolger before it could test Logan with Rovers unable to take advantage of the resulting corner.
Goodison left Bakayogo's well aimed cross for Showunmi on 26 minutes but his volley went over the bar while at the other end a lack of communication between Mark McChrystal and Ash Taylor saw the latter sent a weak header back towards Tony Warner allowing Gavin Williams to intercept and fire straight against the chest of the Rovers keeper.
On 37 minutes Bakayogo ran 20 yards before releasing Showunmi but his shot was charged down by a defender, and moments later Taylor was replaced by Adam McGurk as Les Parry switched his side to 4-4-2.
The striker was involved immediately as he latched on to a flick down from Showunmi but he was adjudged to have handled by the referee.
The official was involved again on 43 minutes with McGurk going down at a Cresswell corner when he appeared to have his shirt tugged but no penalty was awarded.
Robinson superbly pulled the ball down on the stroke of half time and after beating two men his short pass to Labadie was fired high over the goal.
Tranmere got lucky two minutes into the second half when Hoskins' pass went straight through the six yard box and there wasn't a visiting player on hand to turn in, while Robinson twisted and turned before bringing a save out of Logan soon after at the Kop end.
Showunmi held off a defender before his low shot struck a Bristol Rovers foot on its way to goal while a defensive clearance narrowly went wide of the Pirates' goal soon after.
Lateef Elford-Alliyu came on for Labadie on 64 minutes with Robinson moving into the centre of midfield from where he picked out Bakayogo eight minutes later with his shot going across goal and wide.
Appeals for a push on Showunmi as he raced towards a loose ball on the edge of the area were turned down on 73 minutes, while Lucas Akins was brought on in a final throw of the dice seven minutes later.
Rovers threw men forward in hope of an equaliser but they almost conceded a second with a minute of normal time remaining only for Warner to pull off a fine save with his feet to deny Hoskins.
Tranmere: Warner, Weir, Goodison, McChrystal, Cresswell, Labadie (Elford-Alliyu 64), Taylor (McGurk 38), Welsh, Robinson, Showunmi, Bakayogo (Akins 80). Substitutes not used: Collister, Kay, Wood, Blanchard.
Bristol Rovers: Logan, Senda, Sawyer, Tunnicliffe, Bolger, Campbell, Lines, Reece (Pell 66), Williams (Richards 86), Hughes, Hoskins. Substitutes not used: Green, Booth, Cooper, Howe.
Referee: Chris Sarginson
Yellow cards: Sawyer (60)
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